When we envision our streets, we typically think about the automobile. However, there are other important modes of transportation that should be prioritized as well – such as walking, biking, or moving with assistive devices.

Through Smart Growth America’s “Complete Streets” approach, communities can ensure that their streets prioritize safety over speed, balance the needs of different modes of transportation, and support local land uses, economies, cultures, and natural environments.

The Chester County Planning Commission recently held a public meeting to discuss a Complete Streets Policy for Chester County, which welcomed more than 35 representatives from local municipalities, transportation organizations, stakeholder groups, and others from around the region. Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz and Josh Maxwell also attended the meeting, noting the importance of Complete Streets in their opening remarks.

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The Chester County Planning Commission recently wrapped up an 18-month study to determine the feasibility of developing a multi-use trail connecting Chester County’s southern communities to the Circuit – Greater Philadelphia’s existing multi-use trail network.

Major project recommendations included 20 miles of bicycle and pedestrian improvements along Baltimore Pike to create a unified “Baltimore Pike Bikeway,” and two multi-use trails along the US 1 Expressway: one in the in Kennett area, and one in the Oxford area.

Commenting on the trail study, Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline said, “In the 18 months since this study began, we have all come to appreciate, even more, the value of trails, not just for walking, biking and de-stressing, but for alternative methods of transportation.”

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The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) recently announced their new population and employment forecasts for the region through 2050. While not experiencing quite as much growth as forecasted in the past, Chester County continues to grow at a significant rate, leading the region in both number of residents added, as well as percentage growth.

The new forecasts replace DVRPC’s previous 2045 forecasts, and include a population estimate of 645,673 residents by the year 2050 – a growth rate of 25.4%. When it comes to employment in Chester County, the new forecast anticipates 373,664 workers by 2050 – a growth rate of 23.5%. Despite the county’s significant growth rates, the overall region is seeing much slower growth, with an expected population growth of 7.6% and an employment growth rate of 6.9% by 2050.

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Municipal representatives from East Whiteland Township attended the Chester County Planning Commission’s July 2021 Board Meeting to provide an update on current happenings in the northeastern region of Chester County.

They included Chair of East Whiteland’s Board of Supervisors, Scott Lambert, along with the Township’s Director of Planning and Development, Zachary Barner, and Planning and Development Coordinator, Brittany Carosello.

“It’s been a busy couple of years in East Whiteland,” noted Lambert during his opening remarks. “The challenges we face as both individual municipalities and as a county are complex and wide ranging, so it’s really great to know that we have the support of a world-class organization helping to guide us through this period of time,” he commented.

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Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz and Josh Maxwell, along with other county staff, recently toured a local farm to learn how a large-scale solar facility is used to provide the electricity needs on a working mushroom farm.

The tour was led by Tom Brosius of Marlboro Mushrooms in West Grove – the oldest mushroom farm in the nation’s history dating back to 1901. While Marlboro Mushrooms’ solar panels provide energy to run the mushroom operation (and have since 2011), they are classified as an accessory use to the facility.

This initiative helps to support the “Connect” goal in Landscapes3, Chester County’s comprehensive plan, specifically in regards to its recommendation to “support a resilient and clean energy network.”

Furthermore, the county has made various strides to better understand and explore solar energy use through efforts such as the recently revised Draft Climate Action Plan.

To learn more about solar power and clean energy, visit the Chester County Clean Energy webpage at https://www.chescoplanning.org/uandi/CleanEnergy.cfm.